Rhodes: Kerry Searching for 'Common Place' Between Israel, Hamas

Ben Rhodes, the deputy national security adviser for President Barack Obama, told CNN’s Candy Crowley on State of the Union Sunday morning that “Israel does need to take greater care to avoid civilian casualties” and that “you can always do more” to avoid them. “The best way to do that is through a ceasefire,” he said, explaining why the Obama administration was urging a calm that would leave Hamas’s terror network intact.

Crowley had set up the discussion by asking Rhodes whether Israel “can go too far” in response to Hamas rocket attacks. She did not ask about the controversial terms of the ceasefire proposed by the Obama administration on Friday, which echoed many Hamas demands.

Rhodes said that Secretary of State John Kerry was focused on bringing all sides to “a common place,” evidently treating Israeli and Hamas demands on equal footing.